Funeral takes place today for mother taken off life support
The funeral takes place today of the young mother at the centre of the recent right-to-die case.
The mother-of-two's life support machine was switched off last Saturday in the presence of her family, after High Court judges ruled on St Stephen's Day that the life support could be discontinued.
The woman, who was in her 20s, had been 15 weeks pregnant when she was declared brain dead as a result of a brain trauma.
However, her doctors did not withdraw life support because of their uncertainty over the constitutional status of the foetus.
The judges said in their ruling: “The condition of the mother is failing at such a rate and to such a degree that it will not be possible for the pregnancy to progress much further or to a point where any form of live birth will be possible.”
Medical evidence showed the unborn child was facing into a “perfect storm” with no realistic prospect of emerging alive.
Giving the court’s judgment, Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns paid tribute to the woman’s father, partner and family for their “immense courage and fortitude”.
